Whenever I need a good reference I look on your site. In one of your videos you said you made a video explaining the difference harmonic balance to choose from I can not find that video what the name of that video?
Thank you so much for this video series. I just did this job today (Saturday, August 3, 2024) on my 2000 FRC with manual transmission. This is a great guide. Here are some notes for how my experience varied from the videos here. Maybe others will find it helpful. I was able to do the job in my driveway without a lift. I left the rear wheels on the ground and lifted the front. To get the rear higher, I lifted it first and then set it back down. With the suspension binding and not settled, it can preserve enough height under the rear to fit a jack with small piece of wood under the rear suspension cradle. Rear wheels were secured with rubber chocks on all sides with the E-brake on. I used rubber pucks in the front lift locations to set on jack stands. ABS bracket was a different larger design than shown in the video. It used all 4 mounting holes on the cradle plus the hole shared with the power steering rack mount. The ABS module also attached a little differently using 3 small bolts with 10mm hex heads. Removed the alternator for better access. This gave a good view of the power steering rack bolts and steering shaft bolt from the top. I did not have a stubby 18mm wrench, but had a good small crescent wrench. The extra access from removing the alternator gave the small wrench a large range of motion from above. I had trouble with the steering shaft bolt. I didn't notice that the video shows going in at an angle in front of the alternator. I gave up and removed the alternator as mentioned above. The cradle did need to drop for rack clearance just like in the video. Even with 2 people guiding the rack and pulling things out of the way, the rack needs the extra clearance. I only unscrewed the rear cradle bolts one turn. I loosened the front cradle bolts several turns. Breaking the harmonic balancer bolt loose is tough. I made brief attempts by hand using a jack handle on my breaker bar, but it was difficult to get enough swing-travel with the car not that far off the ground. I borrowed my uncle's corded electric impact which did the trick after a few moments of suspense. Crank bolt threads were all good. Old bolt, installation tool, drill pin jig, and new bolt all threaded in by hand without issue. The OTC crank puller linked in this video works great. I used the longest of the 4 pins for this job. The amazon installation tool linked is ok. It comes with ball bearings to fit between the washers to allow for easy spinning. One of the bearings dumped several balls out after the balancer was installed. My new harmonic balancer (the high rpm option linked in this video's description) was keyed. Without a corresponding keyway in the crankshaft, the instructions say to fill the unused keyway with a high quality silicone sealant. This balancer is nice with construction that makes it impossible for the balancer to walk forward or backward, but is probably overkill. The Dayco high rpm balancer also comes with timing marks. I don't believe they have any function on a stock LS1, and especially since I did not begin to try to clock the timing marks with any reference with the #1 cylinder at TDC. To torque the harmonic balancer, I put the car (manual transmission) in 6th gear with the e-brake remaining on. I also had a helper sit in the car and press the brake pedal for good measure. Make sure the helper knows to not touch the steering wheel. The ARP crank bolt has a 27mm 12 point head. No more 24mm hex head. I don't own a 12 pt socket like that, but was able to borrow one from my uncle. The drill pin kit from Summit had two holes so I went ahead and double pinned the new balancer. I broke the bit when starting the second hole. Thankfully, I was able to sharpen the bit with a grinding wheel well enough to finish the job. I changed the order of operations a little bit: - Pull old harmonic balancer - Replace oil seal - Replace water pump (to prevent water from dripping on the new balancer) - Install new harmonic balancer - Drill and pin balancer - Install and torque harmonic balancer bolt - Install AC belt (thanks for the warning in the other video!) After this point, things begin to fall back together quickly. Whenever I detach an electrical fitting or vacuum line, I cover the ends in blue tape. This provides some protection while unattached, but the bright color also helps me remember what still needs to be connected again. I do not have a torque angle gauge for re-attaching the tie rod end ball joints to the steering knuckles. I haven't reattached these yet.
I just bought a pristine 19,000 mile 2001 ZO6 and am learning about the service issues. Now I need to buy a lift so I can do my own work! Thanks for the great video, subscribed!
Great video. All your videos are always on point. I really like the steering wheel brace you came up with to prevent damaging the clock spring. I will definitely use the same set up when I do my Balancer. Thanks for all you go through to make these videos.
wow ... that's pretty intense. Just bought some custom made lift arms for our two post lift and lil bro's C5z was the test bed. Worked great ... got my first look at the bottom of the engine/harmonic balancer. Pretty involved to reach it. great vid.
Okay, I Always wanted a Vette. I subscribed and watched your videos. I Knew which year I wanted. And then I watched a few of your repair vids... It's come to my realization, I rather retire than own a Vette.... I drive a 2007 Civic (orig owner, Very well maintained) w/manual trans & 198k miles, garage kept and parking garage at work. Looks and drives Gr8. Still runs with the crazies on the hwy between 90MPH-114MPH... no fibbing. I just don't feel the G-forces setting me back in my seat... I don't see the problems on the Civic as I see on these Vettes... I'll live with my 2008 Honda C8 and keep an Easy $20k-$30k in my pocket. Thank You for the Education! But I will Always look at Vettes with the wild calling me! :)
Didn't intend to scare you away but there can be repairs and they can be spending especially if you cannot do the work yourself that's just the reality of all cars especially sports cars. I know a couple people that owned bmws, you should see how much the freaking parts cost for those things especially electronics.
@@Toys4Life I can do the work... I do most of my vehicle work today, just don't want to anymore. I continue to do most of my work because 99% of the time the mechanic doesn't do it correctly. Wife car comes back from Toyota for a simple Oil Change and oil and grease all over the place. And the things you're doing, I wouldn't trust anyone to do. However, if I had a Lift though! Yeah, I had a BMW years ago... 5 series. My car had and Exclusive mechanic...ME. BWM stands for Bring Money Withya. Never again, but drove beautifully... also a manual trans. Maybe if I find someone that loves their C5 and a certain year... and is looking for another care taker... maybe. I'll keep watching and thank you for all the Great information!
Nice job removing the steering rack. I like the idea of loosening the cradle and using a screw driver as a wedge. There are long shank taps available for chasing the threads on the crank snout. Looking forward to the next video!
Thanks for the kind words! I was able to find 16 mm x 2.0 taps, but taps generally do a little more cutting than I would like. I was not able to find a thread chaser/cleaner and this size and pitch. So I ended up making one.
Fantastic video as always. I really appreciate your no nonsense approach. Looks like you had more fun than I did today replacing the water pump on my 75. The last one was made in Mexico and only made it 13000 miles. The one I bought today came from China and had to use drift pins to force the bolts back in. Are we having fun yet??
I just did this job today. I'm installing a ATI super dampener on a 2003 z06. I managed to get the rack out without dropping the K-member at all. I removed the inner tie rods and she came right out.
@@Toys4Life I have inner and outer clevis style tie rods. I can unbolt the inner without changing it's length. I was very lucky to pick up a set of these from a drift company out in Japan as they don't actually sell these to work with the stock control arms, and no other company I know of sells a product like these. They were willing to sell me some prototype inners they never brought to market.
I had to replace the harmonic balancer right after i bought my 98 9 yrs ago w/ 99k on the clock. Being brand new to C5's i paid to have it done. I also had an 02 Trans Am at the time but i wouldn't attempt to change that myself. Now that i'm more familiar w/ them i might attempt it now. LOL but really liked your vid
Great video series, especially for the automatic. One thing to note, I was able to remove the steering rack without having to drop the subframe. I supported the abs pump as high as possible and then slid the rack all the way to the passenger side. I rotated it toward the front of the car so that the steering shaft portion was downward and then slid it toward the driver side ground at a diagonal. Very easy to do even with one person just takes some maneuvering. Doing this same method I could have left the rack in there and had enough room to get the balancer out but the rack needed to be cleaned up so I just pulled it to make clean up easier to do.
Thank you. Do you have to disconnect the lines to the rack? I would probably fully remove it anyway because I just wanted everything out of my way to get the drill in there for the dowel pins. But if it was just a straight up balance or replacement, that might be the way to go for sure!
@@Toys4Life I disconnected the two larger lines by the steering shaft but left the other two smaller hard lines on the rack attached, they weren't in the way once the rack was rotated downward. I'm still undecided about pinning the balancer. I'm replacing it with the summit c2501. It has a keyway but not much instructions on what to do if pinning it to the crank. I'm assuming just find another solid part on the summit balancer and drill the holes for the pins the same exact way? Since the car is automatic I don't plan on doing anything crazy, possibly a stage 1 cam while I'm in here so I read pinning isn't required. I don't have plans to supercharge or anything like that because the transmission will probably not hold the power.
@@nabaddame5726 I hear it's not required unless you're going supercharged, supercharged obviously puts a lot more strain on that connection. Having said that since I've done a few of them already, I think I would probably do mine in the future as well just for peace of mind even though it may not be needed. Spinning a balancer on the crank would most likely wreck it. Ideally GM would have just put a freaking keyway in it.
@@Toys4Life so I got the summit c2501 on and I'm pretty sure it's seated properly but when I removed the old bolt after getting to 240 ft lbs, there is about a 1/4" from the edge of the crankshaft to the lip of the balancer. Do you recall if this is normal or do the two need to be completely flush?
Nice content, I have a 2004 Z06 with a 2013 ZR1 front and rear cradle swap complete with trans diff ect. while it was apart couldn't souce a ZR1 engine so did an LSX 454 swap with a A&A Vortech swap. Love your channel.
Good video. On a car this age the motor mounts are probably shot. It was less work to suspend the motor and remove the lower cradle. Makes it easy to service the balancer and replace the motor mounts. With this method you can suspend the entire power steering system along with the EBCM eliminating the need to open any lines.
Great series of videos. Your step by step filming is one of your best to date. Why did the owner/you choose to put on the OEM style harmonic balancer versus an ARP SuperDamper or a Fluidampr (which lasts forever).?
Excellent How too. Best one on TH-cam! When lowering the rack, you say to pry a flathead screw driver between the frame and the cradle. Does this apply with cars with coil overs?
As a general rule of thumb, its only about 3 of the first threads that are taking the load. That is for normal bolts, for stretch bolts i can only assume its a few more, but on this one a few more threads would be nice considering the thing needs to be mounted as well!
Great video. Maybe just run a tap down to try and repair the threads. Then pin the new balancer so that you don’t have to over tighten it. Also for the rack, I have found you can move it to the passenger side as far as possible and it’s out of the way enough that you don’t have to drop the cradle.
Great video, Sir ! I’m just about to tackle the same job on my C6. Never understand the General Mayhem for putting cheesy cheap crap into their “ Halo “ car. Still, Corvettes are super value, Performance /$ .
Goodyear Gatorback belts became Continental Elite belts. But sadly Continental discontinued the "Elite" belts in 2019. They were my go to belt as well. 😕
I just take a board (or a hockey stick) and using a bungee cord (or similar) attach it to the wheel so that it wont turn much - if at all. It also acts as a visual deterrent so that no one (other than you) comes along while you have it apart and turns the wheel. Not sure exactly how much it would have to turn to break the sensor spring - but I don't want to find out either!!!
I cannot describe it. Use a little small flat plate screwdriver. Take your cell phone and try to get a close-up of one so you can get a better view of what needs to be done. If you can see it then you should be able to know where to gently pry and then they open easy.
@@Toys4Life I figured it out. I saw you were using a pick and pried apart where I saw feasible. Got the rack slid to one side and now taking a break-a much needed break. 🤣🤣
Greetings! Great tutorial. Did you reuse the factory (old bolt) first, or did you just run in the ARP bolt once the balancer was seated properly? Also, I watched some other videos where the steering rack can be moved to the passenger side allowing enough room to access the HB bolt without removing the rack is this possible? What brand of HB balancer did you replace with in the video and what do you think of a Summit Racing HB balancer (their brand)? BTW, that Summit Racing tool to hold the HB balancer is a lot better and easier than removing the damn starter and messing with the exhaust, does it work that good as you say? Great videos on C5 Vettes! Thank You.
His factory bolt was shot so I used a spare used bolt I had to seat the balancer. You can do it with the rack in. I took it out because I wanted zero obstructions. The holder works PERFECT. Links to balancer is in the description. I don't have first hand experience with the summit racing balancer. Good luck with the job sir - take your time!
@@Toys4Life Ditto. I have never seen a bad review myself on the Powerbond balancer. Having said that, it is good to know someone with actual experience with direct application is a very good thing. Unfortunately these days excellent mechanics are getting hard to find so good first hand knowledge from folks like yourself is like finding gold in automotive repair. Yup, I have the C5 (04) and a really stout 95 C4 with just truckloads of torque. Absolutely best buy in the Corvette world is a C4 (92-96) LT 1.
Greetings Again. Question please, many videos on this job mention using the old stretch to yield GM bolt to seat the damper and then using a new GM bolt with specific torque values to complete "seating" the damper to the crank "0.125" (damper to crank). If using a damper install tool do you have to go through those steps using factory bolts before running down the ARP bolt to235 ft. pounds. Thanks for clearing this up as using the tool seems a lot better and faster than using those factory bolts first. Thank You much. Agree, on all your procedures and tools. I am shopping!
Sir, looks like you have a standard, residential height garage and you have a lift. Could you provide the information on the lift? I would love to have a lift but didn't think it could happen in a residential garage. Thanks.
Check out my 5-year review of the MaxJax on my channel. My garage door is one foot taller than stock and my ceiling is taller to all of the measurements are in that video.
Did you use an air impact at all for this job outside of using it on the balancer bolt ? Basically trying to see if it’s worth buying my first air compressor and tools for this job
Air compressors come in handy for so many things - so I think you need one (:-). I could have done this job without the impact but they do speed many things up. Certain jobs the air rachet speeds thing up a ton too. If all you are doing is using air tools you don't need anything too massive. Good Luck!
Well, if they replaced it with a factory balancer there would be no way to tell. If it looks different than a factory balancer than you know. The important thing is whether or Not it is in good working order. Take a look at the harmonic balancer diagnosis video on my channel, super easy that anyone can do.
@@Toys4Life Thanks yes I watched that video shortly after asking you, I will have to wait car in put up for the winter. It only has 50,000 miles but I do not want to ruin anything by not staying on top of things. Car ran smooth when I drove it home from the dealer, but I only got a couple rides in and then had to put it in the garage. Love your videos Thanks
What was the source of your replacement? Was it OEM to GM part 12560115 equivalent? Or upgraded. I see there are replacements that are so-called upgrades because they use a different bonding arrangement that prevents separating of the inner from outer core pulleys. I'm looking at doing this job on my 2003 C5 convertible and I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon if I can avoid. it.
I need to replaced my harmonic balancer on a 2003 corvette, what state are you located at, i would like to take it to you if posible, im in Connecticut.
I can't, it's a 25-year-old Craftsman and I've just taken pretty decent care of it. Maybe one of your neighbors has one? I'm pretty sure most just middle of the road priced ones could handle it.
Buy you a Thor off Amazon. Easy on your wallet and I haven't found anything it won't bust loose. Watch it when tightening though it'll snap a 14mm lug nut real quick.
8:50 "don't use a air impact you will wreck the way the stud is secured inside the frame."? The stud is secured outside the frame. There's a tab with a rivet on the top side of all eight of the cradle bolts. Hell I drilled mine out so I can tighten from the top it's easier then just put a self tapping screw to make sure it doesn't turn.
Good point. If all you're doing is simply replacing the balancer, I believe people have found a way to make that work. Since I was pinning the balancer (and wanted plenty of room to work) I like to slide the rack out and not be cramped.
Hold on a minute. The "old bolt" looks like it may have encountered damaged threads deep into the crankshaft at the last inch of the bolt. But your tool hits damaged threads a turn or two in? Those two things are unrelated ones discolored at the deepest part of the crank threads with what looked like no real damage. The other is a couple threads in. If they were damaged when you took that bolt out it would have either damaged all the threads on the bolt, came out slowly all the way, or left a ton of metal shavings come with it. Something is fishy I think I see a alternative truth surely I'm not the only one with common sense to see this
The bolt only engages threads like the last half an inch or so. That's what's kind of dumb about the LS crank, there really is not a ton of threads making contact.
@@Toys4LifeI’m having the balancer replaced as we speak. Mechanic told me the rack has some wetness and maybe a tiny leak and to replace. They want $800 for a new one online and $400 rebuilt. My car has broken down about 8 times and it just turned 60,000. I don’t even drive it more than 500 miles a year. My tranny cable has snapped 2x within 6,000 miles and left me stranded. Along with other problems. Uhhh. These problems never happen on other cars :(. Great video though :D
My rack had a little wetness by it too, as do a lot of them. If it's just a little seep, Is a very good chance it'll be fine for many years to come. But it's a mechanical device it could also start leaking horribly in 6 months. A new rack could fail too. I hope your issues stop happening so you can really enjoy this car.
@@Toys4Life hi sir…quick question. After my balancer was replaced and they put the rack back in and replaced tie rod ends etc I took my car for a drive and the steering feels heavy. It works and you can feel the power steering working but it won’t return to middle on its own when I go left or right. I have to help the wheel back to the middle when driving. Could this be that it needs to be bled out? Or maybe the tie rod ends too tight or am I just nuts because I haven’t driven the car in about 2 months and I’m used to a super easy jeep Cherokee steering system. When the tie rod ends are replaced will this make the steering feel heavy and not return to middle after taking a turn? Thanks for any help! Ps I haven’t done an alignment yet.
Appreciate the feedback and concern for this gentleman's car. I agree with you that you cannot be too careful with other peoples cars. If you look closely though, it is not touching the door or the console and I assure you there is nothing sharp or rough touching the steering wheel. I did my own the exact same way - again to ensure there is no way the steering wheel gets turned while disconnected from the rack which equals big problems and $$$. Thanks for taking the time to comment sir!
Jerry Hawk - calm down lil KAREN hahaha This car is getting the much needed love that's been neglected! Keep up the great work as I'll continue watching 👍
Easily the best video explanation i probably ever watched ! good shit liked n subscribed
Very much appreciate your comment - thank you!!
Whenever I need a good reference I look on your site. In one of your videos you said you made a video explaining the difference harmonic balance to choose from I can not find that video what the name of that video?
Thank you so much for this video series. I just did this job today (Saturday, August 3, 2024) on my 2000 FRC with manual transmission. This is a great guide.
Here are some notes for how my experience varied from the videos here. Maybe others will find it helpful.
I was able to do the job in my driveway without a lift. I left the rear wheels on the ground and lifted the front. To get the rear higher, I lifted it first and then set it back down. With the suspension binding and not settled, it can preserve enough height under the rear to fit a jack with small piece of wood under the rear suspension cradle. Rear wheels were secured with rubber chocks on all sides with the E-brake on. I used rubber pucks in the front lift locations to set on jack stands.
ABS bracket was a different larger design than shown in the video. It used all 4 mounting holes on the cradle plus the hole shared with the power steering rack mount. The ABS module also attached a little differently using 3 small bolts with 10mm hex heads.
Removed the alternator for better access. This gave a good view of the power steering rack bolts and steering shaft bolt from the top.
I did not have a stubby 18mm wrench, but had a good small crescent wrench. The extra access from removing the alternator gave the small wrench a large range of motion from above.
I had trouble with the steering shaft bolt. I didn't notice that the video shows going in at an angle in front of the alternator. I gave up and removed the alternator as mentioned above.
The cradle did need to drop for rack clearance just like in the video. Even with 2 people guiding the rack and pulling things out of the way, the rack needs the extra clearance. I only unscrewed the rear cradle bolts one turn. I loosened the front cradle bolts several turns.
Breaking the harmonic balancer bolt loose is tough. I made brief attempts by hand using a jack handle on my breaker bar, but it was difficult to get enough swing-travel with the car not that far off the ground. I borrowed my uncle's corded electric impact which did the trick after a few moments of suspense.
Crank bolt threads were all good. Old bolt, installation tool, drill pin jig, and new bolt all threaded in by hand without issue.
The OTC crank puller linked in this video works great. I used the longest of the 4 pins for this job.
The amazon installation tool linked is ok. It comes with ball bearings to fit between the washers to allow for easy spinning. One of the bearings dumped several balls out after the balancer was installed.
My new harmonic balancer (the high rpm option linked in this video's description) was keyed. Without a corresponding keyway in the crankshaft, the instructions say to fill the unused keyway with a high quality silicone sealant. This balancer is nice with construction that makes it impossible for the balancer to walk forward or backward, but is probably overkill. The Dayco high rpm balancer also comes with timing marks. I don't believe they have any function on a stock LS1, and especially since I did not begin to try to clock the timing marks with any reference with the #1 cylinder at TDC.
To torque the harmonic balancer, I put the car (manual transmission) in 6th gear with the e-brake remaining on. I also had a helper sit in the car and press the brake pedal for good measure. Make sure the helper knows to not touch the steering wheel.
The ARP crank bolt has a 27mm 12 point head. No more 24mm hex head. I don't own a 12 pt socket like that, but was able to borrow one from my uncle.
The drill pin kit from Summit had two holes so I went ahead and double pinned the new balancer. I broke the bit when starting the second hole. Thankfully, I was able to sharpen the bit with a grinding wheel well enough to finish the job.
I changed the order of operations a little bit:
- Pull old harmonic balancer
- Replace oil seal
- Replace water pump (to prevent water from dripping on the new balancer)
- Install new harmonic balancer
- Drill and pin balancer
- Install and torque harmonic balancer bolt
- Install AC belt (thanks for the warning in the other video!)
After this point, things begin to fall back together quickly.
Whenever I detach an electrical fitting or vacuum line, I cover the ends in blue tape. This provides some protection while unattached, but the bright color also helps me remember what still needs to be connected again.
I do not have a torque angle gauge for re-attaching the tie rod end ball joints to the steering knuckles. I haven't reattached these yet.
Awesome, thanks for the detailed feedback and your experience! 😃
My name is Mohammed. I am Saudi. I really like the beautiful mechanical work (You gave me the way to maintain my Corvette with ease)
نقدر أخذ الوقت للتعليق. كم مرة ترى C5 في المملكة العربية السعودية؟
Best C5 vids on TH-cam ! I have gained so much from C5 info watching all his vids ! Appreciate all the effort that go's into these videos.
Thank you sir! Appreciate the kind words!
a real cliffhanger!
Thanks for inspiring me to call the dealer if I need any work done to the HB in my Z!
Great video!
I agree 100%
I have the same oil leak on my 04 Z. I’m still intimidated by replacing the HB, waiting to see part 2 to gain more confidence!!
Coming soon & thank you!
I just bought a pristine 19,000 mile 2001 ZO6 and am learning about the service issues. Now I need to buy a lift so I can do my own work! Thanks for the great video, subscribed!
You don't have to buy a lift, but it sure helps (:-) thanks for the sub!
Great video. All your videos are always on point. I really like the steering wheel brace you came up with to prevent damaging the clock spring. I will definitely use the same set up when I do my Balancer. Thanks for all you go through to make these videos.
Thanks for the kind words - appreciate it!!!
Awesome video for a cam swap! Thank you so much for posting with detailed information 👍🏼👍🏼
Great video it honestly gives me the Confidence to tackle this job very good teacher you are 👍
Thank you!
wow ... that's pretty intense. Just bought some custom made lift arms for our two post lift and lil bro's C5z was the test bed. Worked great ... got my first look at the bottom of the engine/harmonic balancer. Pretty involved to reach it.
great vid.
C5's are pretty on the bottom too - as compared to other cars - seriously!!
Thanks for posting, much appreciated!
Impressed as always
Thank you Larry - appreciate your support!!
Okay, I Always wanted a Vette. I subscribed and watched your videos. I Knew which year I wanted. And then I watched a few of your repair vids... It's come to my realization, I rather retire than own a Vette.... I drive a 2007 Civic (orig owner, Very well maintained) w/manual trans & 198k miles, garage kept and parking garage at work. Looks and drives Gr8. Still runs with the crazies on the hwy between 90MPH-114MPH... no fibbing. I just don't feel the G-forces setting me back in my seat... I don't see the problems on the Civic as I see on these Vettes... I'll live with my 2008 Honda C8 and keep an Easy $20k-$30k in my pocket. Thank You for the Education! But I will Always look at Vettes with the wild calling me! :)
Didn't intend to scare you away but there can be repairs and they can be spending especially if you cannot do the work yourself that's just the reality of all cars especially sports cars. I know a couple people that owned bmws, you should see how much the freaking parts cost for those things especially electronics.
@@Toys4Life I can do the work... I do most of my vehicle work today, just don't want to anymore. I continue to do most of my work because 99% of the time the mechanic doesn't do it correctly. Wife car comes back from Toyota for a simple Oil Change and oil and grease all over the place. And the things you're doing, I wouldn't trust anyone to do. However, if I had a Lift though! Yeah, I had a BMW years ago... 5 series. My car had and Exclusive mechanic...ME. BWM stands for Bring Money Withya. Never again, but drove beautifully... also a manual trans. Maybe if I find someone that loves their C5 and a certain year... and is looking for another care taker... maybe. I'll keep watching and thank you for all the Great information!
😂 lol
Nice job removing the steering rack. I like the idea of loosening the cradle and using a screw driver as a wedge. There are long shank taps available for chasing the threads on the crank snout. Looking forward to the next video!
Thanks for the kind words! I was able to find 16 mm x 2.0 taps, but taps generally do a little more cutting than I would like. I was not able to find a thread chaser/cleaner and this size and pitch. So I ended up making one.
Fantastic video as always. I really appreciate your no nonsense approach. Looks like you had more fun than I did today replacing the water pump on my 75. The last one was made in Mexico and only made it 13000 miles. The one I bought today came from China and had to use drift pins to force the bolts back in. Are we having fun yet??
I would rather wrench on a Corvette than just about anything! Cheers!
Great in the way you work and photography, so you deserve to watch and support, and I wish you success👍
Thank you;
I just did this job today. I'm installing a ATI super dampener on a 2003 z06. I managed to get the rack out without dropping the K-member at all. I removed the inner tie rods and she came right out.
If you remove the inner tie rods though, you probably need an alignment?
@@Toys4Life I have inner and outer clevis style tie rods. I can unbolt the inner without changing it's length. I was very lucky to pick up a set of these from a drift company out in Japan as they don't actually sell these to work with the stock control arms, and no other company I know of sells a product like these. They were willing to sell me some prototype inners they never brought to market.
This is an involved job. Thankfully it isn't something we'll be doing often.
Great video, well explained and very well recorded. Anxious to see the solution for the crank threads.
Coming soon!
This new subscriber gives you a Big Thumbs Up 👍🏼
Thank you!
Big thumbs up here also
Much appreciated!
I had to replace the harmonic balancer right after i bought my 98 9 yrs ago w/ 99k on the clock. Being brand new to C5's i paid to have it done. I also had an 02 Trans Am at the time but i wouldn't attempt to change that myself. Now that i'm more familiar w/ them i might attempt it now. LOL but really liked your vid
Great video series, especially for the automatic. One thing to note, I was able to remove the steering rack without having to drop the subframe. I supported the abs pump as high as possible and then slid the rack all the way to the passenger side. I rotated it toward the front of the car so that the steering shaft portion was downward and then slid it toward the driver side ground at a diagonal. Very easy to do even with one person just takes some maneuvering. Doing this same method I could have left the rack in there and had enough room to get the balancer out but the rack needed to be cleaned up so I just pulled it to make clean up easier to do.
Thank you. Do you have to disconnect the lines to the rack? I would probably fully remove it anyway because I just wanted everything out of my way to get the drill in there for the dowel pins. But if it was just a straight up balance or replacement, that might be the way to go for sure!
@@Toys4Life I disconnected the two larger lines by the steering shaft but left the other two smaller hard lines on the rack attached, they weren't in the way once the rack was rotated downward. I'm still undecided about pinning the balancer. I'm replacing it with the summit c2501. It has a keyway but not much instructions on what to do if pinning it to the crank. I'm assuming just find another solid part on the summit balancer and drill the holes for the pins the same exact way? Since the car is automatic I don't plan on doing anything crazy, possibly a stage 1 cam while I'm in here so I read pinning isn't required. I don't have plans to supercharge or anything like that because the transmission will probably not hold the power.
@@nabaddame5726 I hear it's not required unless you're going supercharged, supercharged obviously puts a lot more strain on that connection. Having said that since I've done a few of them already, I think I would probably do mine in the future as well just for peace of mind even though it may not be needed. Spinning a balancer on the crank would most likely wreck it. Ideally GM would have just put a freaking keyway in it.
@@Toys4Life so I got the summit c2501 on and I'm pretty sure it's seated properly but when I removed the old bolt after getting to 240 ft lbs, there is about a 1/4" from the edge of the crankshaft to the lip of the balancer. Do you recall if this is normal or do the two need to be completely flush?
The crankshaft should be recessed inwards pretty close to a quarter inch maybe a little bit less.
Excellent, informative video. Think mine has gone bad and I am scared to drive the thing this spring until I have it replaced.
Test it to be sure - see the vid on how to test yours on my channel - super easy!
Great video and very informative! I have a slight wobble with my c6 HB so I plan on replacing when installing my A&A supercharger.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice content, I have a 2004 Z06 with a 2013 ZR1 front and rear cradle swap complete with trans diff ect. while it was apart couldn't souce a ZR1 engine so did an LSX 454 swap with a A&A Vortech swap. Love your channel.
Thank you and that 454 lsx is a beast - I want one!!
Looking forward to Part 2.
Thank you - probably next Saturday of things go well.. fingers crossed!
Good video. On a car this age the motor mounts are probably shot. It was less work to suspend the motor and remove the lower cradle. Makes it easy to service the balancer and replace the motor mounts. With this method you can suspend the entire power steering system along with the EBCM eliminating the need to open any lines.
Hmmm. Has me thinking.
Great series of videos. Your step by step filming is one of your best to date.
Why did the owner/you choose to put on the OEM style harmonic balancer versus an ARP SuperDamper or a Fluidampr (which lasts forever).?
I think he figured the power Bond will last plenty long enough. Btw ATI super dampers need to be rebuilt every once in awhile.
@@Toys4Life Agreed on the ATI Super Damper.
Glad I watched this...def. dropping it off at mechanic. If only I wasnt cheap and did the balancer with cam a few months ago.
Thanks for the comment, glad it helped you make a decision.
thank you
i need that lift to make this job alot easier good video!!!
Thanks 👍
Thank you for the vid convincing me NOT to do this job without a lift😂😂
No problem, our desire (and ability) to get up and down on a creeper absolutely lessens with age.
Excellent How too. Best one on TH-cam! When lowering the rack, you say to pry a flathead screw driver between the frame and the cradle. Does this apply with cars with coil overs?
If you're removing the rack from the car between the cradle and the frame then you do need to lower the cradle. Even if you have coiil overs.
As a general rule of thumb, its only about 3 of the first threads that are taking the load. That is for normal bolts, for stretch bolts i can only assume its a few more, but on this one a few more threads would be nice considering the thing needs to be mounted as well!
Indeed!!!
Nice videography! Very helpful!!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment sir!
Really like the way you are doing this job. Liked and subbed.
Awesome, thank you!
Great video. Maybe just run a tap down to try and repair the threads. Then pin the new balancer so that you don’t have to over tighten it. Also for the rack, I have found you can move it to the passenger side as far as possible and it’s out of the way enough that you don’t have to drop the cradle.
Thanks for the input - much appreciated!
Great video, Sir !
I’m just about to tackle the same job on my C6.
Never understand the General Mayhem for putting cheesy cheap crap into their “ Halo “ car.
Still, Corvettes are super value, Performance /$ .
Good luck sir!
Great video sir👍👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
Excellent detailed video 👍🏼
Thank you! 👍
Great tutorial man
Glad you liked it!
I have an 09 LS-3 if I ever have to replace mine I'm going to use your Video, but if I have enough shekels I'll have it done.
Do you think you can rethread the crank? see if you can chase the thread back
Agreed, that's the first thing we're trying is using a thread chaser.
Great video 👍
Excellent video.
Thank you sir!
Thanks for this great vidéo !!
My pleasure!
Only person to do a goood video on this fuck thank u
Glad you liked it!
What serpentine belt is that? I’ve been looking for a gatorback like belt forever
I think I got it at Napa but I can't recall it's been a while.
@@Toys4Life what brand is it?
Goodyear Gatorback belts became Continental Elite belts. But sadly Continental discontinued the "Elite" belts in 2019. They were my go to belt as well. 😕
Can you detail how you properly secured the steering wheel ?
I just take a board (or a hockey stick) and using a bungee cord (or similar) attach it to the wheel so that it wont turn much - if at all. It also acts as a visual deterrent so that no one (other than you) comes along while you have it apart and turns the wheel. Not sure exactly how much it would have to turn to break the sensor spring - but I don't want to find out either!!!
How do you open the wire clips on the fan shroud? laying on my back and fiddling with it ain't working so good.
I cannot describe it. Use a little small flat plate screwdriver. Take your cell phone and try to get a close-up of one so you can get a better view of what needs to be done. If you can see it then you should be able to know where to gently pry and then they open easy.
@@Toys4Life I figured it out. I saw you were using a pick and pried apart where I saw feasible. Got the rack slid to one side and now taking a break-a much needed break. 🤣🤣
Greetings! Great tutorial. Did you reuse the factory (old bolt) first, or did you just run in the ARP bolt once the balancer was seated properly? Also, I watched some other videos where the steering rack can be moved to the passenger side allowing enough room to access the HB bolt without removing the rack is this possible? What brand of HB balancer did you replace with in the video and what do you think of a Summit Racing HB balancer (their brand)? BTW, that Summit Racing tool to hold the HB balancer is a lot better and easier than removing the damn starter and messing with the exhaust, does it work that good as you say? Great videos on C5 Vettes! Thank You.
His factory bolt was shot so I used a spare used bolt I had to seat the balancer. You can do it with the rack in. I took it out because I wanted zero obstructions. The holder works PERFECT. Links to balancer is in the description. I don't have first hand experience with the summit racing balancer. Good luck with the job sir - take your time!
@@Toys4Life Thanks! You have great confidence in the Powerbond so might go with that. Half the price of the Summit branded balancer.
@@anthonyperrucci7304 I've never seen a bad review about them and I've used it myself on my supercharged application so until it fails, I love it!
@@Toys4Life Ditto. I have never seen a bad review myself on the Powerbond balancer. Having said that, it is good to know someone with actual experience with direct application is a very good thing. Unfortunately these days excellent mechanics are getting hard to find so good first hand knowledge from folks like yourself is like finding gold in automotive repair. Yup, I have the C5 (04) and a really stout 95 C4 with just truckloads of torque. Absolutely best buy in the Corvette world is a C4 (92-96) LT 1.
Greetings Again. Question please, many videos on this job mention using the old stretch to yield GM bolt to seat the damper and then using a new GM bolt with specific torque values to complete "seating" the damper to the crank "0.125" (damper to crank). If using a damper install tool do you have to go through those steps using factory bolts before running down the ARP bolt to235 ft. pounds. Thanks for clearing this up as using the tool seems a lot better and faster than using those factory bolts first. Thank You much. Agree, on all your procedures and tools. I am shopping!
Sir, looks like you have a standard, residential height garage and you have a lift. Could you provide the information on the lift? I would love to have a lift but didn't think it could happen in a residential garage. Thanks.
Check out my 5-year review of the MaxJax on my channel. My garage door is one foot taller than stock and my ceiling is taller to all of the measurements are in that video.
Did you use an air impact at all for this job outside of using it on the balancer bolt ? Basically trying to see if it’s worth buying my first air compressor and tools for this job
Air compressors come in handy for so many things - so I think you need one (:-). I could have done this job without the impact but they do speed many things up. Certain jobs the air rachet speeds thing up a ton too. If all you are doing is using air tools you don't need anything too massive. Good Luck!
could you provide a link to what HB you bought?
Sure - it is Dayco Powerbond, has a great reputation in the Corvette community: amzn.to/38BxKAL
at 7:12 you say when you pull this line off which one is it the first or the second one
2nd one I believe.
How can I tell if mine has been changed already, car is new to me, thanks
Well, if they replaced it with a factory balancer there would be no way to tell. If it looks different than a factory balancer than you know. The important thing is whether or Not it is in good working order. Take a look at the harmonic balancer diagnosis video on my channel, super easy that anyone can do.
@@Toys4Life Thanks yes I watched that video shortly after asking you, I will have to wait car in put up for the winter. It only has 50,000 miles but I do not want to ruin anything by not staying on top of things. Car ran smooth when I drove it home from the dealer, but I only got a couple rides in and then had to put it in the garage. Love your videos Thanks
What was the source of your replacement? Was it OEM to GM part 12560115 equivalent? Or upgraded. I see there are replacements that are so-called upgrades because they use a different bonding arrangement that prevents separating of the inner from outer core pulleys. I'm looking at doing this job on my 2003 C5 convertible and I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon if I can avoid. it.
Summit (or anywhere really) PowerBond PB1117N - PowerBond Premium OEM Replacement Harmonic Balancers
I need to replaced my harmonic balancer on a 2003 corvette, what state are you located at, i would like to take it to you if posible, im in Connecticut.
Sorry sir, I'm in the Midwest.
I’m going to rent an impact wrench for the bolt removal. Could you tell me the foot lbs of the wrench you used. Thanks
I can't, it's a 25-year-old Craftsman and I've just taken pretty decent care of it. Maybe one of your neighbors has one? I'm pretty sure most just middle of the road priced ones could handle it.
Buy you a Thor off Amazon. Easy on your wallet and I haven't found anything it won't bust loose. Watch it when tightening though it'll snap a 14mm lug nut real quick.
8:50 "don't use a air impact you will wreck the way the stud is secured inside the frame."? The stud is secured outside the frame. There's a tab with a rivet on the top side of all eight of the cradle bolts. Hell I drilled mine out so I can tighten from the top it's easier then just put a self tapping screw to make sure it doesn't turn.
I have seen this before and similar situations. I believe the warning is from the service manual for GM text, so I wouldn't risk it.
Instead of pulling out the rack completely, can't you just pull it to one side enough to do the job?
Good point. If all you're doing is simply replacing the balancer, I believe people have found a way to make that work. Since I was pinning the balancer (and wanted plenty of room to work) I like to slide the rack out and not be cramped.
Hi where are you located? If i need my hb changed i want you to do it
I am in the midwest - how about you?
How do I get my c5 to you? I’d want you to swap mine.
What state do you live in?
@@Toys4Life Tennessee
Hold on a minute. The "old bolt" looks like it may have encountered damaged threads deep into the crankshaft at the last inch of the bolt. But your tool hits damaged threads a turn or two in? Those two things are unrelated ones discolored at the deepest part of the crank threads with what looked like no real damage. The other is a couple threads in. If they were damaged when you took that bolt out it would have either damaged all the threads on the bolt, came out slowly all the way, or left a ton of metal shavings come with it. Something is fishy I think I see a alternative truth surely I'm not the only one with common sense to see this
The bolt only engages threads like the last half an inch or so. That's what's kind of dumb about the LS crank, there really is not a ton of threads making contact.
Can you point me to your vid of pinning it
Sure thing. th-cam.com/video/4Sx1pbXeHF4/w-d-xo.html
I hate my c5
😔 sorry.
@@Toys4LifeI’m having the balancer replaced as we speak. Mechanic told me the rack has some wetness and maybe a tiny leak and to replace. They want $800 for a new one online and $400 rebuilt. My car has broken down about 8 times and it just turned 60,000. I don’t even drive it more than 500 miles a year. My tranny cable has snapped 2x within 6,000 miles and left me stranded. Along with other problems. Uhhh. These problems never happen on other cars :(. Great video though :D
My rack had a little wetness by it too, as do a lot of them. If it's just a little seep, Is a very good chance it'll be fine for many years to come. But it's a mechanical device it could also start leaking horribly in 6 months. A new rack could fail too. I hope your issues stop happening so you can really enjoy this car.
@@Toys4Life hi sir…quick question. After my balancer was replaced and they put the rack back in and replaced tie rod ends etc I took my car for a drive and the steering feels heavy. It works and you can feel the power steering working but it won’t return to middle on its own when I go left or right. I have to help the wheel back to the middle when driving. Could this be that it needs to be bled out? Or maybe the tie rod ends too tight or am I just nuts because I haven’t driven the car in about 2 months and I’m used to a super easy jeep Cherokee steering system. When the tie rod ends are replaced will this make the steering feel heavy and not return to middle after taking a turn? Thanks for any help! Ps I haven’t done an alignment yet.
Make sure the power steering pump fluid is full, turn it lock to lock a few times. If it's still hard I would put the money on the alignments off.
U should have put a towel on the door, Steering wheel and the Console to keep from damaging anything. U don't treat other peoples cars like that
Appreciate the feedback and concern for this gentleman's car. I agree with you that you cannot be too careful with other peoples cars. If you look closely though, it is not touching the door or the console and I assure you there is nothing sharp or rough touching the steering wheel. I did my own the exact same way - again to ensure there is no way the steering wheel gets turned while disconnected from the rack which equals big problems and $$$. Thanks for taking the time to comment sir!
Jerry Hawk - calm down lil KAREN hahaha
This car is getting the much needed love that's been neglected! Keep up the great work as I'll continue watching 👍
@@itiswhatitis4905 Excuse me don't call me Karen u jerk. If u don't like my comment get over it
@@itiswhatitis4905 I'm thinking Jerry Hawk (aka Karen) needs some anger management.
@@prettydog37072 jerry hawk probably doesn’t work on his own cars, I can see him walking his new balances to the shop
This is way to much work. Selling my car lol
Nooooooo
Just shop around & bite the bullet & PAY THE MAN! as I did & it was worth it!